At least certain aspects of this application relate generally to information management, and more particularly, to providing analytic measurement of digital and social media content.
In recent years, much attention has been focused on the evolving role of digital (Internet, mobile, etc.) and social media (blogs, social networks, Twitter, etc.) in commerce, entertainment, health and other fields. As these technologies and tools have grown in popularity, a variety of methods have been developed to help organizations and individuals understand whether these media are influencing opinion, perceptions and a range of behaviors, including purchase intent and willingness to shift or continue health habits.
One set of tools is known as digital and social media analytics. Digital/social media analytics involves collecting information on content volume (proportion of information on a specific topic versus another), user actions (visits, clicks, shares, Facebook “Likes”, Twitter “retweets,” etc.) and information sentiment (positive negative or neutral). This information is aggregated and analyzed to inform inferences about whether content is reaching desired individuals, altering perceptions (e.g., negative content may diminish intent to purchase) and driving specific actions (e.g., site visitors from Facebook are more likely to purchase a product sold online).
However, these techniques have a number of limitations. Most importantly, assuming that negative or positive content will shape perceptions in certain ways or accelerate or diminish behaviors can lead to misaligned tactics and strategy, misunderstanding of the market and the inefficient use of financial and human resources.
The need exists for a system and method that facilitates understanding of whether content encountered in digital and social media is truly prompting intent to engage in specific behaviors. Furthermore, a system is needed for determining whether people follow through on behavioral intentions prompted by digital and social media content.